


We save each other

by julianqueena



Category: Amar a Muerte (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, F/F, First Love, Fluff, No Smut, Teenagers, baby gay dorks in love, girls rescuing girls
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-22
Updated: 2020-08-21
Packaged: 2021-03-07 01:27:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 2,520
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26038675
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/julianqueena/pseuds/julianqueena
Summary: Essentially a series of one-shots of Juliana and Valentina as 16 year olds. I wanted to write a fic that didn't revolve around sex and that was more fluffy. They all take place in the same universe, but it may or may not be a coherent story. I welcome any and all suggestions! My tumblr is julianqueena (same as my AO3 username). Please enjoy! I've been a member of this fandom for so long and I thought it was time I gave back. Being asexual and sapphic can be alienating sometimes b/c the attraction I feel is different from most other people, and I wanted to create a work that fellow aces and/or younger Juliantinas who aren't as comfy with smut can enjoy.
Relationships: Valentina Carvajal/Juliana Valdés
Comments: 1
Kudos: 19





	1. First meeting

Math class was Valentina Carvajal’s favorite part of the school day because it was the only class she did not share with her stupid so-called friends. Nayeli, Mayela, Sergio, and Lucho did nothing but drink, smoke, and make fun of everyone else they didn’t think was cool enough for them. Valentina never actually partook in the bullying, but she knew that staying silent while someone was getting tormented was almost as bad as outright taunting them. For the longest time, she could not find the strength within herself to stand up for the victims of her “friend” group. Whenever one of her friends questioned why she was so quiet, she would lie and tell them her stomach hurt or she was tired. They never seemed to notice that all of those excuses were fake, and if they did notice the lies, they were too focused on their current victim to turn on Valentina.  
That day, as Valentina slid into her seat at the back of the classroom, a girl with shoulder-length brown hair asked if she could take the empty desk next to her.  
“Sure,” Valentina responded. “I don’t think I’ve seen you around. I’m Valentina.”  
“Thank you so much! I’m Juliana. I just moved here from Texas, today is my first day here,” the new girl explained, shaking Valentina’s hand.  
“What do you think of it so far?” Valentina asked.  
“Eh, I haven’t had enough classes to really make any sort of a judgment yet,” Juliana said.  
During the class, as was typical, Valentina could not focus on the teacher, but this time, she was simply entranced with Juliana. Every inch of her was perfect, from her caramel skin to her warm eyes, but everything about her paled in comparison to her sweet, shy smile. At one point, Juliana and Valentina happened to catch each other’s eyes, and when Juliana directed that incredible smile her way, Valentina wondered what she could have possibly done right in a past life that made her deserving of such a miracle. She subsequently remembered that she wouldn’t have the same lunch period as any of her friends today and lunch was right after this class. Adrenaline coursing through her veins, Valentina scrawled in the corner of Juliana’s math notebook: Lunch today?  
Within seconds, Juliana was writing back in the corner of Valentina’s notebook: Yes! :)

“So, what’s your story, Juliana?” Val asked once the girls had settled at a table.  
“I moved here from Texas this past weekend because my mom got a new job,” Juliana said.  
“That’s super cool! What’s Texas like?”  
“Really sweltering and way too conservative. I was thrilled when I found out we were moving,” Juliana said.  
“What do you like to do in your spare time?” Val asked.  
“I like drawing. I’ll draw anything, but my favorite things to draw are clothing designs.”  
“That’s amazing! If I ever need a new dress, I know who to call then,” Val said.  
“I’m not that good, it’s just something I do sometimes,” Juls said.  
“I’m sure you’re great,” Val reassured her, squeezing her on the forearm.  
“What do you do outside of school?” Juls asked.  
“I like to read, write, and swim,” Val said.  
“That’s really cool! I never learned how to swim, what with Texas being a desert and all,” Juliana admitted.  
“No worries, I can totally teach you! It’ll be fun!” Val said.  
“That would be awesome!” Juls said. The girls then exchanged phone numbers so they could plan out a day when Juls could go to Val’s house for swim lessons. Both of them felt as though they had been friends for longer than an hour, and they knew they would continue to be in each other’s lives for as long as possible. As they left the cafeteria, Val was so entranced by her new friend that she completely forgot that she would inevitably run into her sucky friends who had lunch right after her. Without either of them noticing, Lucho put his foot out for Juliana to trip on, the other three bullies snickering in the background. Valentina’s instincts kicked in right away. She offered Juls her hand to help her get up.  
“You okay?” Val whispered to her friend. Juliana had tears in her eyes.  
“I will be. Thanks for helping me up,” Juls said, her voice breaking.  
“Always,” Val said, holding out her hand for Juls to take. The girls interlaced their fingers as if it would multiply their courage.  
“What did you do that for?” Val yelled at Lucho.  
“Well, we’ve gotta show the fresh meat who really rules the school. What’s it to you?” Lucho sneered.  
“‘Fresh meat’? Are you kidding me? We’re in high school, not third grade!” Val exclaimed.  
“And since when do you care about this new kid?” Sergio asked.  
“Since I decided I’d rather be a decent human being than hang around with you guys anymore,” Val spat.  
“You’re such a loser,” Nayeli said.  
“Whatever. Let’s go, Juls,” Val said, leading Juliana to the nurse’s office to get a bandaid for her skinned knee. After Juliana’s knee was patched up, they both went into the bathroom.  
“I’m so sorry that happened to you, Juls,” Val cried.  
Juls wiped Val’s tears away with her thumbs. “It’s not your fault.”  
“They used to be my friends, you know. I used to just stand there while they hurt people, and I always felt so horrible about it, but I was scared to stand up to them because I knew they’d pick on me if I did,” Val choked out through sniffles.  
“Hey, look at me,” Juls said, lifting Val’s chin with her finger. “Sometimes, you’re just too nervous to do the right thing, and that’s totally valid. We all do things we’re not proud of, but what counts is that we make it right somehow. Even if you couldn’t save anyone else from them, you sacrificed your place in their group to help me. Nobody’s ever done that for me before, Val.”  
“Really? What idiot wouldn’t want to save you?” Val asked.  
“Everyone in Texas. I was the weird poor kid who lived in a trailer park with a dad who was always drunk, nobody besides my mom ever gave a shit about me until you did,” Juls said.  
“I care about you, Juls, so much,” Val said.  
“I care about you too, Val,” Juls said. “Aren’t you afraid of what might happen to you now, though? You stood up to the biggest bullies here, it seems.”  
“Not anymore,” Val said without a second of hesitation.  
“Why not? It’s okay to be afraid,” Juls reassured her.  
“Even if everyone else hates me, I know I’ll have you. I won’t be alone,” Val said.  
“I’ve got you, always, and I know you’ve got me,” Juls said.  
“You can count on me,” Val said. The girls hugged each other tightly before leaving the bathroom.


	2. Friends into something more

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Juliantina's friendship *evolves*...

Ever since the incident on Juliana’s first day, the girls were inseparable. Juls was a fast learner and caught onto swimming right away, and they spent as much time together in Val’s pool as possible. They loved pretending to be mermaids, as if they were little kids rather than high school students. One day, when they were walking in the park, Juliana’s favorite song came on, and she begged her best friend to dance with her. Long story short, it was in that moment that Juls discovered that Val had two left feet. In return for Val teaching her how to swim, Juls taught Val how to dance. Little by little, the feelings they had for each other grew from friendship into something deeper, and Val’s old friends taunted them whenever they held hands in the hallway. Neither of them thought anything of it; sometimes girls who were close friends held hands. The girls discussed this one afternoon as they sat on the side of Val’s pool.  
“I just think it’s beyond stupid how they see being gay as an insult. Some people are just gay, get over it already!” Val exclaimed.  
“I know right? There’s nothing wrong with a girl liking a girl or a guy liking a guy. It’s just like if someone has brown hair; some people are just like that and the world needs to accept it!” Juls responded just as emphatically. They both paused for a minute.  
“Have you ever liked a boy?” Val asked Juls.  
“Yuck!” Juls said, shuddering.  
“Same! I just don’t get what all the fuss is about!” Val agreed.  
“Can I ask you something, Val?”  
“Sure, what is it?”  
“Do you...would you be okay with it if I was gay?” Juls asked, circling her toe in the water.  
“Of course I’d be okay with it! You’re still my best friend no matter what, and I know if I was gay, you wouldn’t stop being my friend,” Val said.  
“Thanks,” Juls said, hugging Val.

One weekend a year later, Juls and Val were lying in bed next to each other, about to fall asleep.   
“Val?” Juls whispered.  
“Yeah?” Val responded.  
“I...I think you’re really pretty,” Juls admitted.  
“You’re really pretty too, Juls,” Val said.  
“Have you ever thought about what it would be like to kiss someone?” Juls asked.  
“Yeah, why?” Val replied curiously.  
“For a while, I...I’ve been wondering what it would feel like to kiss you,” Juls confessed.  
“We can try it now, if you’re okay with that, but we don’t have to if you don’t want to,” Val suggested.  
“I’m okay with that. Are you comfortable with that?” Juls asked.  
“I’m comfortable with that,” Val confirmed. The girls inched closer to one another until their lips touched. It felt like fireworks went off inside of them. They stayed pressed together until they couldn’t breathe, at which point they touched foreheads as they caught their breath.  
“Wow,” Val said.  
“Yeah,” Juls echoed.  
“That was...amazing,” Val sighed.  
“It was really great. Feel how fast my heart is beating.” Juls took Val’s hand and placed it over her chest, and Val was almost proud. This amazing girl’s heart was beating faster because of her.  
“Feel my heartbeat, too,” Val said, doing the same thing Juls had done to her. A smile spread across her face at the strong thumping of her favorite person’s heart.  
“Um, I’ve never done this before...does this mean we’re girlfriends?” Juls asked.  
“I’ve never done this either. I guess we can be girlfriends if we want to be,” Val said.  
“I want to be your girlfriend, if you want to be my girlfriend,” Juls responded.  
“I really want to be your girlfriend, Juls,” Val said.  
“Okay, we’re girlfriends now, then,” Juliana said.  
“Can I kiss you again?” Val asked.  
“Yeah,” Juls said, joining their lips together again. Once they were both tired and out of breath, they parted and decided to go to sleep.  
“Goodnight, my beautiful girlfriend,” Val whispered, kissing Juliana’s cheek.  
“Goodnight, my amazing girlfriend,” Juls responded.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This may or may not be accurate because I have no real life experience on which to base any of this lol. A lot of stupid people think that asking for consent "ruins the mood", but I aimed to write this scene in such a way that asking for consent only serves to make the moment sweeter and more tender than it already was (if that's even possible with these two).


	3. Interlude

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Let the cheese-fest commence!

“This might sound weird, but you’re my girlfriend, and I also feel kind of like you’re still my best friend because I like spending time with you more than anyone else,” Juls confessed to Val on a walk in the park one day.  
“I feel the same way,” Val said. “It’s strange, though, because most people have their significant other, but they also have platonic friends.”  
“Maybe it’s just because our school sucks. If there were more nice kids at our school, maybe we’d have other friends,” Juls said.  
“That’s possible. But even if we had other friends, I feel like I’d always want to be with you.”  
“Aww, that’s so sweet!” Juls said, kissing Val’s cheek.  
“It’s really great, though, because we have fun together like best friends, but I can also kiss you and we can cuddle and hold hands,” Val said.  
“We’re best friends who love each other!” Juls said. “Wait, you do love me, right?”  
“Of course I love you, Juls, more than anything. I just thought the first time we said it would be something cheesy, like on a date at a fancy restaurant with a string quartet,” Val said.  
Juliana laughed. “That is so not my thing!”  
“Yeah, I like walks in the park and swimming in the pool with you way better than fancy restaurants, so I guess it made sense that we confessed our love for each other in one of our favorite places,” Val said. After all, if their relationship wasn’t built around what made them happy, then there was no point in dating to begin with.


	4. The talk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Juliana and Valentina have their own version of "the talk."

Somewhere along the line, the girls had made it a tradition to have sleepovers every Friday night at Valentina’s house. After school let out on Fridays, Juls and Val stopped by Juliana’s house before heading over to Val’s so Juls could get her overnight bag. They swam for a couple of hours at Val’s house, then got frozen yogurt loaded with toppings at the store nearby. Both girls’ favorite part of their Friday night sleepovers was when they watched movies and cuddled before going to bed. Their deepest conversations usually took place as they were winding down for the night, snuggled together under Val’s fluffy blankets.   
“What do you think of sex?” Juliana asked one Friday night.  
“I’m not sure, it seems kind of weird,” Val responded. “What’s your take?”  
“I haven’t, you know, done it before, so I can’t really make a judgment on it,” Juls said.  
“That’s fair,” Val said. “If you don’t mind my asking, why did you bring it up? I mean, not that you can’t talk to me about whatever’s on your mind whenever you need to talk…”  
Juliana cut her off with a kiss. “Relax, hermosa. I know what you mean. Of course I know I can tell you anything, that’s why I’m talking to you about this right now! I guess I brought it up because we’ve been dating for a while, and we love each other, and sometimes, couples who love each other have sex.”  
“I get that. Just because other couples have sex, doesn’t mean that we have to do it. We’re only 16, for crying out loud!” Val exclaimed.  
“That’s kind of how I feel, too. Like, I know I love you and I want to be with you for the foreseeable future, and I feel secure enough in our relationship to know that not having sex right now doesn’t mean our relationship is less strong,” Juls explained.  
“Yeah, I feel the same way. I’ve heard that sex can make the connection between couples stronger, but that it’s not a huge deal if it’s not part of a relationship, especially with teenagers,” Val said.  
“When my mom gave me ‘the talk,’ she said that sex is the deepest way two adults connect with one another, but I feel plenty connected to you right now. Are we or are we not sharing a bed right this very moment?” Juls pointed out, making Val giggle. Both girls knew they would have the rest of their lives to be intimate with one another if they were both comfortable with doing so.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello lovely readers!
> 
> This chapter means a lot to me as it more or less encapsulates how I feel about sex. To anyone out there who is ace or think they might be, I am here to tell you that there's nothing wrong or shameful about it, and it doesn't make you any less gay/bi/pan/whatever you are. It doesn't mean that you're immature or anything like that.

**Author's Note:**

> One of my fav tropes is when one person rescues the other one somehow, in this case from bullying. This may or may not be based on what I wish had happened in elementary/middle/high school lmao :P


End file.
